NEW YORK – Ice cream is one of our favorite excuses for indulging in a dessert that we probably don’t need. It’s just one of the coolest things around, however you read that phrase.
By definition it’s icy, a winning quality on a steamy day, or even on the still-warm days of early fall. And it inspires accomplished chefs who share the general passion for ice cream to create recipes that are cool, i.e., stylish, we-all-want-to-share-that cool.
Good news. We can. Here are four recipes from four chefs who love ice cream – and thoughts on their second-favorite ways of chilling out, next to eating ice cream.
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From Kansas City, Mo., comes a honey-ginger ice cream created by Megan Garrelts, pastry chef and co-owner of Bluestem restaurant.
The dessert’s nice contrasts of warm fruit, ice cream and crunch of warm crumbly topping are very much a personal taste.
“These are my favorite summer flavors,” Garrelts said, in a phone interview. “Also, I find nectarines bake better than peaches and they’re a little more acidic.” She looks for local honey in the farmers market when she can get it, and suggests cooks anywhere can do the same.
The ice cream recipe will make more than you will need for the four servings of the dessert, she said, so you can look forward to second helpings later. “You can do what we do at the restaurant, usually – make the ice-cream base the night before and let it chill overnight in the refrigerator.” But the recipe also allows for quick cooling over an ice bath (water and ice).
“The sugar cookie crust bakes up rather like a crumble topping,” that you sprinkle over the ice cream on top of the fruit, she explained.
Favorite way of staying cool: “We have a pool at our house, and it’s a nice mini-vacation to come home to it at the end of a working day in the restaurant. It’s right off the kitchen in back, and we have a lot of dinner parties out there, entertaining our neighbors, with drinks and eating beside the pool.”
Missouri Honey and Ginger Ice Cream With Warm Nectarines and Sugar Cookie Crust
Honey Ginger Ice Cream
1 quart heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Missouri honey (or your favorite local honey)
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger root
12 egg yolks
In a large saucepan combine cream, milk, brown sugar, honey and freshly grated ginger. Warm over medium heat, stirring to infuse the honey and ginger into the cream and dissolve the sugar, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Place the egg yolks in a large stainless steel bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg yolks. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl and chill, either over an ice bath, stirring for at least 10 minutes to cool it completely, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Once the ice-cream base is chilled, process in an ice-cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze.
Makes 2 1/2 quarts of churned ice cream (10 cups).
Roasted Nectarines With Sugar Cookie Crust
For Sugar Cookie Dough:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
9 ounces unsalted butter (2 1/4 sticks)
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon, juiced and zest
1 egg
Powdered sugar for garnish
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and lemon. Add the egg to the creamed mixture. Add the flour mixture in thirds and mix well. Form the dough into a flat disc and chill the dough until firm.
Cut the firm dough into small cubes and sprinkle the cubes onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Sprinkle the dough cubes close enough together to form a large crumbly disc once baked.
Sprinkle the cubes with cinnamon sugar and bake at 325 F until slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.
For the Nectarines:
4 nectarines
1/8 cup brandy
1/4 cup sweet white wine
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Butter and sugar a shallow roasting pan. Split the nectarines in half and remove the pit. Place the nectarines in the roasting pan face up.
In a small bowl, mix together the brandy, sweet wine and vanilla. Pour the wine mixture over the nectarines. Sprinkle the sugar over the fruit and dot with the butter. Cover the pan with foil and roast the fruit at 300 F until the fruit is tender, but still holds a shape, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and keep fruit warm for serving.
To assemble:
Place 2 warm nectarine halves in each bowl. Scoop Honey Ginger Ice Cream on top. Sprinkle with crumbled warm cookie crust. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
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Bob Kinkead, executive chef-owner of Kinkead’s restaurant, Washington, D.C., and cookbook author, explains that the concept he had in mind in creating the following ice cream recipe is that peppermint is something that we all relate to from our youth.
“If this doesn’t remind you of your fifth birthday party or Christmas, nothing will,” he says. But the angel cake is light, and the peppermint has a refreshing crispness, so it’s perfect for summer or year-round.
“It’s a fairly time-consuming recipe, but a real treat,” Kinkead says encouragingly. “Be sure to spray the angel-food cake mold well with vegetable-oil cooking spray. It will stick somewhat in any case because of the sugar and egg whites, but much less so if the pan is well seasoned.”
What’s his ideal of cool, personally, ice cream aside?
“I – and my wife, too – grew up with summers in Cape Cod, so my favorite thing is packing up food for the family and going to the beach.” In fact, he said, he was heading off to the Cape the day after he was interviewed.
Angel Food Cake With Peppermint Ice Cream and Hot Fudge Sauce
For the Angel Food Cake:
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting pans
5 extra-large egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325 F. Spray a 10-inch cake mold or pan of 6 individual-sized angel-food molds and dust with cake flour.
In a stainless steel bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt. Slowly add the sugar and whip to soft peaks. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. Fold in the cake flour. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag fitted with an open tip. Pipe the batter into the molds. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cool in the molds, and then remove to a baking rack.
For the Peppermint Ice Cream:
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup sugar
2 cups spearmint or peppermint leaves (see note)
6 extra-large egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups peppermint hard candies or peppermint sticks (with red and white stripes), plus extra for garnish
To make the ice cream, in a non-corrosive saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the half-and-half, sugar and mint leaves and bring just to a simmer. Transfer from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain and return the cream to the saucepan, discarding mint leaves.
In a stainless steel bowl, temper the yolks by gradually whisking about 1 cup of the cream mixture into the yolks. Add the yolk mixture to the saucepan with the cream mixture and heat over medium heat until the mixture coats a spoon. Do not boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and add the heavy cream and the vanilla and peppermint extracts. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Chop the peppermint hard candies by pulsing in a food processor.
If using a commercial ice cream maker, fold the chopped candies into the ice cream as it comes out of the ice-cream maker, or if using a home ice-cream maker, fold the candies in during the last minute of freezing. Return the ice cream to the freezer for 1 hour before serving.
Note: If mint leaves are unavailable, use 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract.
For the Hot Fudge Sauce:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Pinch of salt
Chocolate mint sticks, for garnish
To make the fudge sauce, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring all of the ingredients to a simmer, whisking frequently. Keep warm.
To serve, ladle some hot fudge in the center of each of 6 plates and place a slice of cake or an individual cake on the fudge. Ladle on some more hot fudge and top with a scoop of peppermint ice cream. Garnish with the peppermint candies and chocolate mint sticks.
Makes one 10-inch cake or 6 individual-sized cakes.
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David Kinkead is executive chef and co-owner with his brother Bob of the popular restaurant whimsically named Sibling Rivalry, in Boston. His shared recipe also has a seasonal flavor.
“We are very lucky in Boston to have such great farmers,” he says. “I enjoy going to the farmers market and buying whatever looks fresh. The berries and peaches are in full season, so I thought the buckle with fresh fruit would make a refreshing dessert.
“For the ice cream, I really think ginger and blackberries go well together, and add a nice contract to the warm dough of the buckle.”
As for other ways to beat the heat: “As much as I love Boston it can be unbearable in the summer, so I like to escape to Cape Cod whenever my schedule allows.” Since most of the time this isn’t possible, he adds, he opts for a friend’s pool and a cool drink on the deck.
White Peach and Blackberry Buckle With Blackberry-Ginger Ice Cream
Fruit Mixture:
6 white peaches, sliced thin
1 pint blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch or flour
Splash of orange juice
Mix all ingredients together and allow to sit about 10 to 15 minutes, for the juices to macerate.
Buckle Dough
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks), room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) heavy cream
Raw sugar for garnish
Heat oven to 350 F.
In a stand-mixer bowl, using a paddle, cream together butter and sugar just long enough to form a smooth batter (if whipped too long butter gets too much air and turns almost white). Add flour and baking powder and slowly start mixing. When it starts to come together, slowly add cream until just mixed and smooth, being careful not to overmix. Chill.
Divide dough in half, and roll each half out into rectangle to fit greased 8-by-8-inch cake pan. Place one sheet on the bottom.
Fill with fruit, and place the other on top. Sprinkle top with raw sugar. Bake at 350 F until dark golden and bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to sit and cool at least 20 minutes before cutting into.
Serve warm, topped with Blackberry-Ginger Ice Cream.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Blackberry-Ginger Ice Cream
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, rough chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 pint blackberries
Heat together ginger, cream and milk to almost boiling. Off heat, allow to steep at least 15 minutes. Mix together yolks and sugar, and slowly whisk in hot liquid. Return mixture to pot. Cook over medium-low heat, carefully stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a rubber spatula. Cook to 180 F on instant-read thermometer, or until liquid appears slightly thickened. Strain mixture with fine-mesh colander, and allow to cool over ice bath.
Refrigerate custard at least 4 hours for best results. Following home ice-cream machine directions, make ice cream. Once soft set, fold in blackberries. Return to freezer at least 2 hours to set up.
(OR: use store-bought good quality vanilla ice cream, allow to sit out and soften about 5-10 minutes, and fold in fresh blackberries.)
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
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Marcel Desaulniers, executive chef and co-owner of The Trellis restaurant, Williamsburg, Va., is also known as a successful cookbook author – especially for desserts, with “Death By Chocolate” (1999) among his most successful titles.
He’s chosen a recipe from the selection to be included in his next book, “Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas,” scheduled for publication in the fall.
“The pleasant surprise of enjoying cranberry-enhanced ice cream anytime of the year was the reason I chose this ice cream,” he says. “Frozen cranberries are available any month of the year, making this ice cream treat a reality.”
As for Desaulnier’s second favorite summer refresher: “I do an hour and a half session of yoga every afternoon in my bedroom. With a ceiling fan directly overhead and the air conditioner purring in the background – the experience is cool! Then I am ready for a bowl of ice cream,” he tells us.
White Chocolate Cranberry Ice Cream
2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup orange juice
1/4 tablespoon orange zest
8 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
2 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs
Heat the cranberries with 1/4 cup sugar, and the orange juice and orange zest, in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a simmer and adjust the heat so the mixture will simmer until the cranberries burst and the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cranberry mixture to a nonreactive container, then cool uncovered in the refrigerator.
Melt the chopped white chocolate and 1/2 cup of half-and-half in the top half of a double boiler or in a medium glass bowl in a microwave oven, and stir until smooth. Set aside.
Heat the heavy cream and the remaining 1 cup of half-and-half with 1/4 cup of sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, about 5 to 6 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Ladle 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, into the egg mixture and whisk gently to incorporate.
Pour the egg and cream mixture into the remaining cream mixture in the saucepan and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the melted chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a temperature of 185 F (use a digital thermometer for an accurate temperature reading of the mixture).
Pour the chocolate mixture through a fine gauge strainer into a large bowl. Cool in an ice-water bath to a temperature of 40 F to 45 F.
When the mixture is cold, freeze in an ice-cream machine following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the semifrozen ice cream to a 2-quart plastic container. Fold in the chilled cranberry mixture until evenly distributed. Securely cover the container, then place in the freezer for several hours before serving.
Makes 1 1/2 quarts.
AP-WS-08-21-06 0737EDT
